by Jay | Jun 23, 2009 | New
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 22, 2009) – For the third consecutive year, New Hampshire Motor Speedway hosts the first event in the Race to the Chase – the 10 races preceding the “post-season” Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
As the points currently stand, four drivers inside the top 12 are within 50 points of being bounced out of the top 12: Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin and Juan Pablo Montoya. And three drivers outside the top 12 are 50 points from vaulting into the top 12: Kasey Kahne, David Reutimann and Jeff Burton.
In other words, it’s close – very close. The next 10 races and tracks will decide who’s in and who’s out.
The statistics suggest Busch is the safest of those inside the top 12. He has a 48-point cushion to the Chase cutoff, and has the fifth-best average Driver Rating at the next 10 tracks (96.9).
Of those on the outside looking in, Burton seems most likely to make the comeback. At the next 10 tracks, he has a Driver Rating of 86.4 and Average Running Position of 15.2.
The 12 drivers who do make the Chase will have their points reset to 5,000 – with 10 bonus points added to that total for each win prior to the Chase.
Only 100 points remain, meaning those comfortably inside the top 12 are aiming at one target – Victory Lane.
Tony Stewart, with one win this season, seems most likely to pad his bonus points total. He has 21 career wins at the next 10 tracks, as well as a Driver Rating of 106.1 and an Average Running Position of 10.5 – both of which are the best among drivers currently in the top 15.
by Jay | Jun 22, 2009 | New
Naples, ME 6/22/09- It took just twenty two laps for Preston Peltier to make his way to the front Saturday night at Georgia’s New Senoia Raceway and from there he never looked back, leading the next 128 laps en route to his second consecutive Pro All Stars Series ( PASS) South super late model win in the Dixie 150. Keeton Hanks, making his PASS South debut, finished second followed by Texas native Trey Mitchell who grabbed his first career podium finish. A pair of Georgia natives, Justin Wakefield and Bubba Pollard, rounded out the top five at the inaugural series event.
After starting fifth Peltier, piloting the #26 Johnson Motorsports entry, quickly dropped into third position behind series regular Heath Hindman and newcomer Chris Whorton. Then on lap twenty two Peltier made his move to the front while two drivers Bubba Pollard and Keeton Hanks methodically made their way to the front of the field. A lap eighty caution brought the field back together for just the second of three times that night and allowed Justin Wakefield among others to bring their cars to pit road, opting for chassis adjustments over track position.
Not only did the caution allow teams to make adjustments to their race cars but it put both Pollard and Hanks within striking distance of the leader Peltier. The two battled side by side over the next forty plus laps allowing Peltier to pull away with the race lead before contact was made bringing out the night’s final caution. The contact sent both competitors to the pits for minor repairs and opened the door for Trey Mitchell to take his shot at the top spot. The final twenty two laps proved to be some of the best racing of the night as the fans watched Hanks shoot his way through the field to finish second and saw two and even three wide racing right down to the strip between Pollard, Wakefield, and a hungry Mitchell.
“This is awesome making it two in a row,” explained an excited Peltier after the race. “To go from winning my first PASS race at Orange County to now having won two of the last three races this season feels unreal. I can’t thank Harold (Johnson-team owner) enough for putting this deal together and I just hope we can keep it up and keep gaining points to have a shot at the championship come the end of the season.”
Next up for the PASS South series will be a Forth of July weekend double header starting off Friday July 3rd with the Firecracker 125 at the Greenville-Pickens Speedway followed up by the Independence 150 at the Hickory Motor Speedway on Sunday July 5th. The PASS North super late models make their second appearance of 2009 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough Maine on Friday June 26th.
by Jay | Jun 22, 2009 | New
ALLSTAR RACE TRUCKS RETURN TO THOMPSON INT’L SPEEDWAY
THOMPSON,CT. The AllStar Race Truck race teams are excited about returning to the Thompson International Speedway. Their first of two such visits will take place this Thursday, June 25th.
The top contenders in ARTS are all expected to be on hand for their feature event race. Leading the points chase as they head to Thompson and looking for his 4th consecutive win is Andy Lindeman. Rounding out the top five in ARTS driver’s points are Gee Perry, Richard Brooks, Brandon Warren and John St. Germain. Brooks is, at this stage of the season, the leader in the points chase for Rookie of the Year.
The ARTS can always be counted on to present an exciting and competitive race. “The truck competitors are looking forward to running at the historic Thompson track,” said ARTS Assistant Race Director, Lorraine Pard.
The trucks will be joined by Thompson’s Super 6 NASCAR Whelen All American Series divisions which, due to an earlier postponement, will include double feature races for the Mini Stocks. It will be an exciting evening with eight feature event races on the schedule.
The ALLSTAR Race Trucks will make their second appearance at Thompson during the running of the XTRA MART World Series of Speedway Racing in October.
For more information on this exciting race series, fans may visit their web site at www.allstarracetrucks. Com
by Jay | Jun 22, 2009 | New
Joey Logano to Visit David’s House and Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth
Who – Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 GameStop Toyota.
What – Will visit David’s House, a support facility for families of children receiving treatment at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD). Logano will donate video game consoles and games for their commons room from his sponsor, GameStop, and will hang out with some of the families at David’s House to show continued support.
Joey will be available for one-one-one interviews.
When – Thursday, June 25 at 2:00 PM EDT
Where – David’s House
461 Mount Support Rd
Lebanon, NH 03766-2805
(603) 643-2298
Why – CHaD and David’s House are the charities that Logano has chosen to support. On-hand to meet Joey for the first time will be Chris Zapel, who has Cystic Fibrosis and has required several stays at CHaD. His brother, Matt, also has Cystic Fibrosis. For the past two years Chris has worked part-time for GameStop and Home Depot. His mother, Jennifer, is a longtime Home Depot employee. David’s House has meant a lot to their family. It became a place for them to hold Christmas this past December when Matt had to be hospitalized. Needless to say Joey is their favorite driver and they want to personally thank him for his support of these two facilites.
Logano will also serve as the guest speaker at the Governor’s Breakfast on Friday morning, June 26, at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The breakfast is the largest fundraiser of the year for CHaD. A proposed cut in state Medicaid funding will directly affect CHaD and David’s House. Logano wants to continue to raise awareness for these facilities that serve kids from around the country and the world.
by Jay | Jun 21, 2009 | Video
The finishes and victory lane highlights from the winners on June 19th, 2009.
